Getting straight-As in high school or 2400 on the SAT is an accomplishment. But neither predicts how well your kids will handle the routine tasks of day-to-day life once they’re on their own. In other words, there’s no correlation between academic achievement and common sense.

So here are five random but essential skills to share with your kids to prepare them for life away from home. Think of it as insurance against potentially expensive mistakes.

1. How to use medical insurance: Most health insurance companies offer the best reimbursement when you use network providers. So make sure you explain how to find authorized providers. In most cases, you can either search online or call a toll-free number. Medical providers frequently change the types of insurance they accept. To prevent surprises, encourage students to call before each office visit to verify the provider still participates in your plan. Explain that even participating doctors may use non-participating labs. So tell them to ask in advance which labs the doctor uses, verify which ones accept your insurance and have the office manager note the preference on their medical files. Unless the students plan to pay for the medical care, tell them to make sure bills are sent to the home address. Otherwise, the bills they neglect to pay could ultimately affect your credit.
2. How to do laundry: Don’t laugh. Many highly functioning students have no clue how to do a load of laundry, according to admissions counselors at Binghamton University in New York. Explain that it’s a bad idea to put their white socks and new jeans with the dark blue wash in the same load. Tell them they’ll probably need a pocketful of quarters as well as laundry detergent. Contrary to what some teens believe, the soap is not dispensed automatically in the washing machine. Avoid having them take clothes that have to be sent to a dry cleaner. But if they do, make sure they understand which clothes can go in the wash and which ones can’t. Some students may be willing to take a small ironing board and iron. But most will find life far easier if you just give them several bottles of wrinkle releaser.
3. How to manage a cell phone plan: Every teen knows how to use a cell phone. But far fewer know how to manage the monthly bill. Before your students leave home, call your cell phone provider to make sure it has coverage in the area where the school is located. If not, you’ll have roaming charges for all the calls they make. (While you’re at it, show the students how to check if their phones are roaming.) Explain what your cell phone plan provides, including the number of daytime minutes, the hours when it offers unlimited free calls and how it charges for text messages, as well as what it doesn’t, like directory assistance and Internet access, for instance. Since many students spend at least one semester abroad, your kids will probably end up calling friends outside the US. Before they do, have an understanding about potential extra charges.
4. How to write thank you notes…on paper: Don’t blame the kids for this one. They’d already know how to do this if their parents had shown them how about 12 years ago. But the fact is that many students leaving for college are clueless about the importance of sending a thank-you-and that many people prefer one sent through the mail. Thank you notes are always appropriate, and can have more affect on their futures than they think: One student I know got several glowing recommendations from former professors because they were impressed she sent thank you notes in response to their efforts to help her-and ultimately got a job because she sent a thank you after her interview.
5. How to use debit and credit cards: Plastic is pervasive, so we assume our kids understand how to use it. But many don’t. And remember this: If they’re 18 and in college, they no longer need your consent to apply for a credit card. Before they get one on their own, consider opening a joint account with a low credit limit. You’ll be able to monitor the account, discuss purchases and show them how to make payments. Even if you refuse to get them a credit card, they’ll need a debit card. Before they get one, make sure they know that they can use a debit card like a credit card in many stores-but that even when they do, the money is deducted from their accounts almost immediately. Explain that it’s up to them to keep track of their account balance: Some students erroneously think all they have to do is check the available balance online to find out what’s in their accounts. They forget to deduct the purchases they made but haven’t yet posted to their accounts.

Listen to Asa talk about Things to Tell Your Kids Before They Leave for College with Chris Marino on K104.

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